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Mantle: The Return of the Sha
An innocent world threatened.
A king desperate to save his queen.
A young girl realizes her immense power.
In a world rooted in magic, Lizabet Abbot was seemingly born without any magical gifts of her own—a circumstance unheard of in her kingdom. She is an outcast in her own land, with few friends to call her own.
But when her sister is kidnapped by minions of the evil kingdom of Skite, Lizabet sets out with two companions on a quest to save her. It is during their journey, while in the face of danger, that Lizabet discovers she does have a magical gift—one more powerful than anyone could have imagined. It is a gift that may save her sister, her king, and her kingdom.
Gripping and filled with wonders, Mantle rouses the senses, and brings life to a world of magic and intrigue.
A king desperate to save his queen.
A young girl realizes her immense power.
In a world rooted in magic, Lizabet Abbot was seemingly born without any magical gifts of her own—a circumstance unheard of in her kingdom. She is an outcast in her own land, with few friends to call her own.
But when her sister is kidnapped by minions of the evil kingdom of Skite, Lizabet sets out with two companions on a quest to save her. It is during their journey, while in the face of danger, that Lizabet discovers she does have a magical gift—one more powerful than anyone could have imagined. It is a gift that may save her sister, her king, and her kingdom.
Gripping and filled with wonders, Mantle rouses the senses, and brings life to a world of magic and intrigue.
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2015
17 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Gary Bregar
3 books7 followersGary Bregar has a passion for all things creative.
He enjoys traveling, and prefers to see the world through the eyes of local residents whenever possible. During his travels one might have caught a glimpse of him climbing the pyramids of Chichén Itzá, Mexico, touring the wine country of Tarija, Bolivia, or exploring the glaciers of Iceland. He also enjoys weekends of camping, hiking, or skiing.
Gary believes in strong community involvement, and has volunteered as both organizer and public speaker for several organizations.
In addition to being an avid reader, he has an affinity for art, film, comics, and all things creative. It should also be mentioned that he is proud to have a near-juvenile interest in such things as Star Wars and comics.
Originally born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado, Gary currently resides in Denver, Colorado.
He enjoys traveling, and prefers to see the world through the eyes of local residents whenever possible. During his travels one might have caught a glimpse of him climbing the pyramids of Chichén Itzá, Mexico, touring the wine country of Tarija, Bolivia, or exploring the glaciers of Iceland. He also enjoys weekends of camping, hiking, or skiing.
Gary believes in strong community involvement, and has volunteered as both organizer and public speaker for several organizations.
In addition to being an avid reader, he has an affinity for art, film, comics, and all things creative. It should also be mentioned that he is proud to have a near-juvenile interest in such things as Star Wars and comics.
Originally born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado, Gary currently resides in Denver, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 23, 2016
I read Mantle; The Return of the Sha by Gary Bregar in four or five days. The story features a young female heroine who grew up feeling like an outcast because she didn't have a magical power like everyone else. But she actually did and didn't know it. She later discovers that she is a sha or a good witch, like Glenda in the Wizard of Oz. I could relate to her feelings of isolation and having only a few friends because I grew up deaf in a hearing world. I liked Lizabet's rambunctious character. She is also an independent and self-reliant girl.
On the other hand, her sister, Bella, is a beautiful woman who caught the eye of the king during the last leg of his travels around the kingdom. A quick romance ensued. The wedding that followed reminded me of Princess Diana's elaborate wedding to Prince Charles in England. In the story, the celebrations that followed the wedding were lavish. Citizens celebrated all night. Fairies were not necessarily under the king's rule, but they contributed to the revelries. Paired fairies did an aerial dance inside of floating bubbles and their movements were synchronized to music. This imagery invoked a feeling of delightfulness within me. The author is very creative!
The author also put forth a concept of balancing evil with good and vice versa. Although good and evil are supposed to be polar opposites, it may actually be the case that they are a range of judgements from good to bad, positive to negative, or excellent to poor. It reminds me of the adage that one person's trash could be another person's treasure. Wisdom comes from knowing that grey areas exist within morality and ethics. Everything is not in black and white. A person's choices define who they are when they choose between a greater evil and a lesser evil in an ethical dilemma. We always pray for the highest good for ourselves because what we want may not be in our best interest. The highest good for us may mean some short-term discomfort.
For example, Lizabet suffered some guilt over her use of her magical staff. Her staff, called the Shadowlight, reminded me of the Staff of Destiny in a television episode of Warehouse 13 with a female H.G. Wells on the Syfy channel. The Staff of Destiny had the ability to create powerful earthquakes when it was struck against the ground. The Shadowlight had a similar ability. The king gave Lizabet the Shadowlight because he felt like it was meant for her. She probably listened to the king about how the staff worked and thought it would behave the same way with her. But because she was a sha, the power of the staff was amplified ten times over. Lizabet did not practice using her staff and she was unaware of the amount of power she wielded. She hit the ground with it with the intention of turning the battle's tide over to favor her side. The resulting earthquake was a disaster in some ways and spectacular in others. It caused some loss on her side of the battle because of her naivety.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to young tween girls who need role models that display self-initiative but are only human, not perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed the book because there was a lot of action and adventure in it. It was also an easy read.
On the other hand, her sister, Bella, is a beautiful woman who caught the eye of the king during the last leg of his travels around the kingdom. A quick romance ensued. The wedding that followed reminded me of Princess Diana's elaborate wedding to Prince Charles in England. In the story, the celebrations that followed the wedding were lavish. Citizens celebrated all night. Fairies were not necessarily under the king's rule, but they contributed to the revelries. Paired fairies did an aerial dance inside of floating bubbles and their movements were synchronized to music. This imagery invoked a feeling of delightfulness within me. The author is very creative!
The author also put forth a concept of balancing evil with good and vice versa. Although good and evil are supposed to be polar opposites, it may actually be the case that they are a range of judgements from good to bad, positive to negative, or excellent to poor. It reminds me of the adage that one person's trash could be another person's treasure. Wisdom comes from knowing that grey areas exist within morality and ethics. Everything is not in black and white. A person's choices define who they are when they choose between a greater evil and a lesser evil in an ethical dilemma. We always pray for the highest good for ourselves because what we want may not be in our best interest. The highest good for us may mean some short-term discomfort.
For example, Lizabet suffered some guilt over her use of her magical staff. Her staff, called the Shadowlight, reminded me of the Staff of Destiny in a television episode of Warehouse 13 with a female H.G. Wells on the Syfy channel. The Staff of Destiny had the ability to create powerful earthquakes when it was struck against the ground. The Shadowlight had a similar ability. The king gave Lizabet the Shadowlight because he felt like it was meant for her. She probably listened to the king about how the staff worked and thought it would behave the same way with her. But because she was a sha, the power of the staff was amplified ten times over. Lizabet did not practice using her staff and she was unaware of the amount of power she wielded. She hit the ground with it with the intention of turning the battle's tide over to favor her side. The resulting earthquake was a disaster in some ways and spectacular in others. It caused some loss on her side of the battle because of her naivety.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to young tween girls who need role models that display self-initiative but are only human, not perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed the book because there was a lot of action and adventure in it. It was also an easy read.
September 1, 2017
Adventures
This is a decent read and it's a good story for relaxation. Good read, a good "yarn", light, adventurous, fun. A classic fight between good n evil with a twist or two.
This is a decent read and it's a good story for relaxation. Good read, a good "yarn", light, adventurous, fun. A classic fight between good n evil with a twist or two.
February 16, 2016
I like this new world of magic. The only reason it did not get 5 stars was because I would have liked to see more of Lizabet's magic. She really only had one brief scene in regards to her powers.
February 1, 2016
Bit stilted but good story
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews